While there are nearly two months until the start of Florida’s new legislative session, state lawmakers have already indicated that sports betting would be a topic that will be given consideration next year.
On Monday morning, Sen. Jeff Brandes filed three sports betting-focused bills to set in motion the debate over the legalization of the practice.
SB 968, SB 970, and SB 972 call for the regulation of sports wagering on the territory of the state. If the legislations succeed in the Florida Legislature next year, they would task the state Lottery with overseeing the nascent athletic gambling industry.
The trio of bills appear to allow for the legalization of statewide mobile wagering as well as retail betting at Lottery kiosks. However, they leave many questions unanswered.
For instance, the three measures do not specify on what sports and contests Florida bettors will be able to place wagers. Professional, college, and amateur sports are all defined in the bills, but still there is little else information on whether any of these would be prohibited.
If the Florida Legislature legalizes sports betting under Sen. Brandes’ bills, the state’s wagering industry will be taxed at 15% on revenue. Sports betting activities will be conducted by the Florida Lottery and third-party licensees authorized by the Lottery.
Sports wagering operators will have to pay an annual license fee of $100,000, which means that they will be required to renew their licenses every year.
Bills Don’t Include Tribal Sports Betting
The three pieces do not discuss sports betting at Florida’s tribal casinos, which can be detrimental to their future in the Legislature, given the influence of the Seminole Tribe in the state.
The tribe operates Florida’s largest gambling venues. Up until mid-May, the tribe contributed around $350 million per year in gaming revenue to the state under a 2010 compact. After prolonged discussions, state lawmakers and tribal officials failed to reach a new agreement. As a result, the Seminoles stopped sharing their casino revenue with Florida and said that the state would not receive payments until a new compact is negotiated.
At issue was the tribe’s claim that Florida has violated its part of the compact by allowing the state’s pari-mutuels to operate the so-called designated player games. Under the 2010 agreement, the Seminole Tribe’s casinos held exclusivity over blackjack in the state.
The Seminoles sought sports betting exclusivity this past spring, but the failed negotiations between the tribe and the state prevented any progress relating to the sports betting legalization matter.
Many experts believe that athletic gambling cannot happen in Florida without the tribe’s blessing, given its huge gambling presence and political power. In other words, the lack of mention of the Seminoles in the three newly filed bills could mean that these are doomed to a very short life in the Florida Legislature next year.
Florida voters passed last fall a constitutional amendment that basically gave them the final say on all gambling-related matters. Under the amendment, any expansion of the state’s gambling industry can happen only if approved in a statewide vote. This could be another obstacle before any sports betting legalization push that might be made next year.
Source: Florida Bill Would Allow Mobile Sports Betting With Lottery In Charge, Sports Handle
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